Overwhelmed
by CometCharm
Summary: "This spell can be reversed, but does not reverse, often mistaken for a curse..." Sofia finds a magical book that contains a specific spell written in its first page, though some parts of it are smudged out. When she recites it, she becomes twenty-five years older, and Cedric may be the only person who can rewind the spell. [Cedric/Sofia]
1. Custom-Made Spells

Sofia had never seen a magical book just lying around before.

Nor had she ever seen a magical book that had only one page filled in, either. It was almost as if the writer of the book, whoever it was, took a pen, dipped it ink, wrote a single spell, and then decided to abandon the entire project altogether. Perhaps it was a lazy sorcerer? Sofia had spent all morning pondering this strange phenomenon when she had first peeked at the magical book's contents (or lack thereof). A single page with just a few lines of a spell, or what she assumed it to be, written in clean cursive. That's all the book had.

It intrigued her greatly. She decided that once she was left with time to herself, she would page through the book to see if there was anything more. Perhaps analyze the spell, if she could.

She finished up with her duties in the afternoon, gratefully retiring to her room. Eagerly, she fetched the book that she had hidden deep within her closet, laying it out before her on her bed. She sprawled out on the covers, flipping through each page within the book absentmindedly. All the pages in the book, excluding the first, seemed to be blank to her. She coughed after every page turn, awed by how much dust the book brought into the air. The musty scent of old paper invaded her senses, and Sofia struggled to inhale it without allowing it to restrict her throat. She forced herself to swallow painfully. No one could know that she had this book. Not yet, anyway.

There wasn't anything else in the book.

Flipping back to the first page, she read over the spell:

 _"This spell can be reversed,  
but does not reverse,  
often mistaken  
for a curse,  
for it will — the course  
of time, (by twenty-five),  
and only rewind  
when —  
— a line."_

Sofia did enjoy riddles, but the spell somewhat confused her, not to mention that some of the phrases were smudged out messily with the ink. _What about a line?_ Was that in a metaphorical sense, or a literal sense? Sofia puzzled over this spell cautiously, rolling the words around in her mind. After a few minutes, she figured that it wouldn't do her any harm. Something about "the course of time" didn't sound that bad. Perhaps it would throw her to some distant, alternate universe; the prospect of it already excited her. And the spell did say it could be reversed, after all. She decided she would give it a try.

She said the words carefully, slowly, and then waited.

Nothing happened.

She couldn't help but be disappointed. Surely there was something more to this book? But she felt as if nothing had changed at all. It was probably because she hadn't been able to say all of the words of the spell due to their being smudged out.

"Guess you're just a musty old book after all," she muttered, and then slid off of her bed, trudging back to her closet. She might as well put the book to the back of her closet now, since it didn't do anything. As she walked across her room, she spotted her reflection in the mirror. It looked...different, somehow. Fragmented. She stepped closer, setting the book down on her bed, confused with how small and poorly-placed the mirror was. Since when was she so short?

Frowning, she adjusted the mirror so that it could meet her eyes, smiling in satis—

 _WHAT!?_

Shocked, she leaped backwards, nearly breaking the mirror, for she had dropped it in her fumbled attempts to get away. It fell to the floor with a loud clatter, and she groaned. She hoped no one had heard that.

She tiptoed over to the mirror timidly, picking it up again. Taking a deep breath, she looked once more. Her appearance hadn't changed from when she had just seen it seconds ago. She looked _older._

 _Older...as in—_

She looked back at the spell in horror.

 _Twenty-five years older._

Sofia groaned at her stupidity. _Stupid, stupid._ She hadn't even bothered to read the end of that phrase! She hadn't been that careful with the other phrases that were illegible, either.

Terror and adrenaline clutched at her throat. What else had changed now that she was older? Had everyone else in the palace gotten older, as well? And what about her dress? She looked down at it, marveling at the fact that it had... _grown with her._ Her amulet still rested comfortably around her neck. Nothing else had seemingly changed, except for her. Quickly, she scanned through her mind. Were there memories that her now 25-year-older self contained? Or was she still the same 8-year-old girl?

She encountered a colorful flood of memories, from her sixteenth birthday, to her many fights with Amber, to the special birthday present that she gave to Cedric two days earlier by accident, the many adventures that she had with her family and her friends (both animal and human alike)...it was all there. It frightened her terribly. Her mind had changed; it was quicker, more perceptive, and had even a larger assortment of vocabulary than before, but she was keenly aware of the 8-year-old self within her. The 8-year-old self who had grown too fast. She needed to change back.

And she knew just the person who could help her.

She had no idea if the castle had grown older with her, but it was worth a shot to see if it had. Grimly, she grabbed the spell book, tucking it under her arm, and marched determinedly to the door. She cracked it open carefully, checking the hallways. She didn't see anyone.

Sneaking along the walls, she saw Amber and James walking across their intersecting hallway. They hadn't grown at all, Sofia noticed to her dismay. So she had been the only one who had changed, after all. They were bickering about something, though she couldn't distinguish what it was. She was surprised at how...short they were. This bothered her, as well. She had grown, but her family hadn't grown with her.

Sofia ran hurriedly outside, entering Cedric's tower. She stumbled up the steps, still unused to her new body. She hoped that he had some sort of spell that could undo it all. She hoped that he would understand.

She arrived at his door, somewhat nervous, though she couldn't fathom why. Her nerves were tingling in apprehension. What would he look like to her now that she was so much older? What would _she_ look like to him? Oh, what did it matter, anyway? She found that she was becoming rather irritated with herself, and, gathering up her courage, knocked on the door firmly.

After a slight pause, the door opened, and Cedric's eyes immediately gravitated towards the ground, having become familiar with her knock. He closed his eyes briefly, sighing, "What did I tell you ab— " and then realized that Sofia's face wasn't there, no, it was only the bottom of her lavender dress. His gaze moved slowly upwards in confusion, resting at her face, and then at the top of her head, which now reached his shoulder in height.

He almost shrieked, but Sofia pushed him inside, closing the door.

"Mr. Cedric, I accidentally recited a spell and—"

"You're _TALLER!_ And _OLDER!_ And, and _—_ " Cedric gasped in shock, almost collapsing onto the floor. Sofia steadied him by gently grabbing his arm, holding him upright. He pulled away.

"And—"

"What?" Sofia asked curiously, her brilliant, blue eyes watching him curiously. Cedric felt as if he was going to faint, standing so close to her now.

 _So overwhelmingly beautiful._

 _WHAT!?_ Cedric bit his tongue in disgust, making sure that his mouth hadn't uttered the ridiculous words. What a PREPOSTEROUS thing to think. To even say! Yes, she had grown, her auburn curls now framed her lovely, — _not_ lovely, merely changed— face, her eyes had transformed into the brightest blue that he had ever seen, and she had gotten taller, but that did _not_ mean that she was _beautiful_ or _overwhelming._ That was sorcery! She was some sort of sorceress!

"What's wrong, Mr. Cedric? You look overwhelmed," Sofia asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry, and Cedric groaned. What uncanny timing!

"You see, Princess, I most certainly am. What in the world happened?" Cedric asked, struggling to calm his voice.

Sofia presented the spell book to him, to which he dropped it with a heavy thud on his desk. She explained the unnatural smudges and the fact that the spell had still worked, even though she had to omit the words that the smudges had made, along with the fact that her dress had mysteriously grown with her. She saw his amber eyes rest at her amulet for just a moment, and then went back up to meet her own.

"Did your amulet curse you?"

"Oh no, Mr. Cedric, I don't think so... _wait,"_ Sofia said, an idea bubbling within her mind, and then she rushed forward, suddenly closing the distance between them. Cedric felt that distinct, heady sensation of wanting to faint once again, but he forced himself to look where she was looking, and not at her high, flushed cheekbones or the excitement in her eyes. Not at all. She pointed at the spell.

 _"...often mistaken for a curse."_

"Mr. Cedric, I think this spell has to do with you, too!" Sofia said excitedly. Cedric, having composed himself, regarded her with half-lidded, amber eyes, raising a single, elegant eyebrow.

"And what will we do now?" he replied.

"I don't know," Sofia said, frowning. She turned away from him for a moment, and then turned back around to study him. He shifted away uncomfortably. There was something about how bright her eyes were that made him nervous. He wasn't sure why she had him feeling so muddled right now, anyway. It bothered him, and it made him feel like a dirty, insignificant doorknob compared to her.

Sofia, herself, had never noticed how tall he actually was. Nor had she ever noticed the handsome, golden bow that he always had tied around his neck, nor the maroon vest that peeked underneath, nor how deep of a purple his robe was. Nor had she really noticed how long and pointed his nose was, either, though she thought it was quite a funny thing, and she felt a sudden urge to touch it, but she restrained herself. He didn't seem to be in the best condition at the moment.

Sofia giggled, and Cedric stepped further away from her, busying himself with organizing his books.

"What?" he muttered irritably.

"You look shorter now."

"And you look taller now, Princess Sofia," Cedric said, turning, and his eyes locked onto hers. Her breath caught for a moment. His eyes seemed to be an almost-inky color from farther away, and she suddenly envisioned a sunset. They were almost the same color as the sun bleeding crimson into the sky, though she didn't know why his eyes reminded her of that. The thought was gone when he turned away, a slight frown materializing on his face. She continued on, shaking off her vivid thoughts.

"...A line, Mr. Cedric. We have to do something with a line," Sofia said, her voice clear. Her first goal in mind was to change back, not get distracted by every little thing now that she was older.

"Well, I suppose you could just draw a line, cross it out, or play some kind of game with it," Cedric said sarcastically, and Sofia's face brightened at his words.

"Yes! That's a start!" Sofia shouted in triumph, and hurried around the room, looking for some sort of a thing that could produce a line.

"Princess Sofia...I wasn't being serious..." Cedric began, but Sofia ignored him and rushed toward the sorcerer, her face close — _too close_ — to his, and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the center of the tower. He was glad that Wormwood had abandoned him to rest upstairs, or he would have to deal with the cursed bird's mocking caws at his stupidity and sluggish mind around the now-older girl. It had been a calm, uneventful day before she had come along, and he would've preferred for it to have stayed that way, or at least, that's what he told himself.

Sofia held up the white stick of chalk that she had somehow managed to find in his mess of a workshop, and, grinning, drew a single line across the stone floor. Cedric watched her carefully, though nothing happened. They tried everything, from hopping over it, from stepping on it, and even from rolling over it. Sofia laughed when Cedric made his many attempts beside her, and he glowered at her in response, dusting the dry chalk marks off of his hands. Surely there must be some way to change her back. He couldn't live like this.

"None of it's working," Sofia sighed, sinking to the floor in a defeated slump.

"I'll look through my books," Cedric said, almost desperately. There must be something! The spell could be reversed. It _had_ to be reversed. He hurried past his bookshelves, and Sofia followed, glancing at the rows of books in interest. There were a couple that caught her eye, but she wasn't able to reach any of them, despite her sudden height advantage. She noticed one on top of the highest shelf, and she attempted to jump up and temporarily cling to the bookshelf, but Cedric noticed her attempts and quickly pushed her back, his hands hovering across her shoulders. He was careful not to touch her.

"Don't do that, Sofia. You're going to get hurt," Cedric said, looking worriedly into her eyes, and Sofia watched beside him as he fetched the book himself, carefully bringing it down for her. She couldn't help but admire how dexterous he was; perhaps that was why he wore fingerless gloves. He handed the book to her.

"Is this it?"

"Yes, Mr. Cedric. Sorry," Sofia said, ducking her head demurely. She didn't understand why she felt so shy all of a sudden, but standing so close to him made her feel lightheaded. They both looked down at the title, which read, _Custom-Made Spells._

Sofia frowned at it, looking up at Cedric for an explanation.

He sighed, walking over to his desk as an excuse to get away, for their close proximity had made him flushed once more, though he explained the book's title as he continued.

"Custom-made spells are very complicated. They require a lot of thought and understanding about magic. They are, true to their names, custom-made spells that sorcerers create for people. In the past, they were made for royalty, though they aren't as common anymore," as Cedric explained this, he turned, noticing with a start that Sofia had followed him, and was stepping even closer to him with every word. Damnit! Did she even know how much of an effect she was having on him?

Smoothly stepping around his desk so that it was between them, he continued, "The sorcerer or sorceress who creates the spell has to think of every possible situation that could go about. If the custom-made spell isn't executed correctly or does not go as planned, it will ruin the spell and destroy all of the hard work put into it permanently. I have always tried to create a custom-made spell, but I've never succeeded thus far," Cedric added the last phrase somewhat grudgingly, though no judgment passed over the princess' eyes.

"Do you think mine was custom-made? That the smudges were put there on purpose?" Sofia asked, looking into his eyes intently.

"It's quite possible," Cedric replied, uncomfortable with their proximity once again.

She cocked her head, almost bird-like, towards him, though her eyes were looking upwards, toward the top of the tower.

"There must be some way for us to fill in the smudges. Something about a line? Why can't I think of anything?" Sofia pondered, walking along the walls of the tower. This time, Cedric followed her at a distance, almost entranced by her. She walked like a goddess —

Now WHAT in the world was he thinking!? This was Princess Sofia he was talking about! He felt like bashing his head into the wall.

Sofia turned, for the last time, to glance at Cedric once again. She looked up into his amber eyes, and he stood there, watching her. She stepped a little closer, and, hesitatingly, he stepped forward, as well, until they were so close that she could feel his light breaths tickling the top of her head. His gaze was soft, unlike his usual demeanor, as if he had given up on being crude the minute she had walked in. He was just Cedric. The Cedric she knew, the one who smiled the sweetest smiles when she gave him gifts and the one who had always helped her when she needed it.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

He wasn't expecting the question. He wasn't expecting anything at all, actually. He wasn't expecting to find himself nearly inches apart from her. Truly, this had been a day of unexpected things, but when he looked into her blue eyes, he nearly lost the ability to speak.

"What do you mean?"

"You keep stepping away when I step closer to you. Is there something wrong with me, Mr. Cedric? When I was younger, you didn't really seem to mind my presence," Sofia responded, her cheeks rosy.

Cedric allowed a soft smile to grace his face. She was so far from the truth that it was humorous.

"No, Sofia. There is nothing wrong with you at all. But I recommend that you stop calling me "Mr. Cedric" for now, or I'll regret what I'm about to do," Cedric replied. What in the world was he saying? Oh, to hell with it all. He didn't care anymore. His heart was pounding madly, and he supposed that he was also a little mad, too.

Sofia's eyes widened, and the words that escaped her lips were barely a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

He closed the distance between them, crushing his lips against hers. Pushed by the thrum of energy in the air, he enveloped her in his arms, and she sunk into his warmth, and he swore, _for a moment,_ that she kissed him back. It was heaven, a euphoria that he couldn't describe, and he couldn't believe that this was _Sofia_ and that he was doing this, but all he could see were stars, and ever since he had seen her enter his tower as this new, changed Sofia, he knew something was different. He heard her sigh in relief; it was a gentle, sweet sound, but it ended so swiftly and coldly that Cedric nearly stumbled backwards. He opened his eyes.

Sofia was gone.

"Mr. Cedric! What am I doing here?"

He looked down, blinking, to see Sofia watching him with the same, big, blue eyes, but she was short again, younger by twenty-five years. She had returned to normal. He choked on this discovery, staring at her in shock.

"What—you mean, you don't remember?" Cedric asked, and Sofia shook her head, confusion flitting across her small features.

"No? Anyways, I should probably be heading off to dinner, anyway. How did I get up here? I must've taken a nap and sleepwalked up here," Sofia said, and she decidedly walked forward, giving Cedric a quick hug. He stood there, numbly, giving her a timid pat on the back. No racing heart, nothing. She was just little Sofia again.

"Make sure to get some sleep, later, alright? You look overwhelmed," Sofia said, and Cedric's breath hitched at that comment as Sofia walked out, gently closing the door behind her. What in the world had he just _done!? HE HAD KISSED HER!_

He had crossed a line. A line that should never, ever, be crossed! Even if she had been practically his age at the time, that gave him no excu—

 _He had crossed a line._

Cedric gasped in horror, looking over at the book that Sofia had left on his desk. He frantically opened it to the first page, reading the spell once more.

The smudges were expectedly gone, much to his rage.

 _"This spell can be reversed,  
but does not reverse,  
often mistaken  
for a curse,  
for it will change the course  
of time, (by twenty-five),  
and only rewind  
when someone  
crosses a line."_

"Whoever created this custom-made spell clearly did it to frustrate me, especially since I'm the only one who remembers. What a bastard," Cedric muttered, flushing once more at the fact that he had kissed Sofia. What a tricky sorcerer or sorceress this person was! The custom-made spell had gone exactly as planned.

Well, Sofia had forgotten about it, so he thought it best that he would forget about it, too. His thoughts a muddled mess, he put the book away, giving it one good kick, though it hurt his toe to do so.

It wasn't his problem, regardless. Sofia was eight years old once again, and he wouldn't have to think about petty things like racing hearts or kisses until...never. Twenty-five years was a long time. He didn't have to worry. Content, he went back to sorting his books.


	2. Epilogue

_**Epilogue** — __25 Years Later:_

Sofia rushed out into the gardens, inhaling the rich scent of the earth around her. It had just rained, and the golden, dew-covered leaves above her were glistening with the sky's tears: rain. It was such a beautiful thing. She felt as if everything was beautiful at that moment. She looked out into the distance, smiling when she saw his dark figure leaned up against one of the orchard's marble columns, looking as if he was disinterested with his surroundings. She knew he was secretly enamored with it all, as well. And here he was, yet another beautiful creature before her.

She stepped forward, almost shyly, to which he finally noticed her presence, stiffly standing to attention. He looked as if he were some sort of soldier responding to his captain. She laughed softly, her starry dimples almost glowing in the sunlight.

"Happy birthday, Sofia," he said, slowly taking her hand, ever so gently, and kissing it. He hadn't changed at all. He was still the same, clumsily-genuine sorcerer she knew, with the same hair, the same mannerisms, and the same robe, but she couldn't contain the rising blush in her cheeks. It was just Cedric, but he was more than that to her now. She mumbled her thanks. Flushing, as well, he offered up a brilliant, violet carnation to her, which she took gratefully. He watched her carefully, his amber eyes soft and golden with vulnerability.

"You look...overwhelmingly beautiful today. Not that you don't every day, but—"

She laughed again.

"I remember that, now, Cedric. From twenty-five years ago," she teased, and Cedric stiffened, his face changing into an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Oh dear! You do? Merlin's mushrooms! When did you remember it? Today?" he seemed vexed by this news, and Sofia smiled, gently putting her hand on his arm.

"Just this morning. Quite a funny thing, isn't it? Why are you getting all embarrassed by it?" Sofia asked, visibly amused by Cedric's sudden change in composure.

"I _crossed a line,_ Sofia," Cedric said, watching Sofia seriously. Sofia's face brightened then, and she coyly adjusted his golden bow.

"I'm glad you did."

They kissed, and it was a joyous sort of thing, though they had already kissed many times before; their identical, twinkling rings on their fingers indicated that. But it was a kiss of simple peace, knowing that no secrets were ever kept from each other's eyes. A kiss of sincere, honest love. They both knew it, and neither of them needed to say it: right now, this was their heaven.

Twenty-five years had passed far more quickly than Cedric ever thought it would. He was a bit overwhelmed by it.

He laughed, then. He couldn't help it.

"What?" Sofia asked, her eyes glowing in adoration.

"Nothing. I just love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Thank you for reading and for your kind, encouraging reviews!_ _I had a lot of fun writing this and tying in multiple references to the spell and Cedric's and Sofia's relationship throughout this short story._ _I hope you enjoyed it._


End file.
